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Sexologist: Safe sex can still be fun

December 1, 2011

There are some very good reasons why Megan Andelloux keeps getting invited back to HCC to speak to students. She's smart, dynamic, articulate and funny; she gives away free samples of the products she talks about; she enlivens her discussions with provocative slides, displays and demonstrations; she gives out prizes to volunteers. Primarily, though, it's the subject matter itself that fills the room--sex.

Andelloux is a certified sexuality educator and author, and her presentation--"Sexy and Safe Super Sex College-Style"--Wednesday, Nov. 30, drew more than a hundred HCC students and staff to the PeoplesBank Conference room in the Kittredge Center.

"She is always very well attended," said Elizabeth Golen, coordinator of Student Activities.

Andelloux began her talk with a cheer, "Yea for safer sex!" and passed out index cards to everyone to submit anonymous questions she would answer later. During her presentation, she used a combination of medical and more graphic terminology and welcomed interaction from the audience, including questions, interruptions and laughter.

She emphasized her theme early on. "Safer sex should be part of the fun," she said. "I'm here to promote the idea that safe sex should be fun and sexy and hot."

Andelloux started her program with a discussion of abstinence, promoted by many people as a 100 percent effective method of birth control. She pointed out, however, that it is only theoretically 100 percent effective.

"How many people here planned not to have intercourse and then it just sort of happened?" she asked the audience and a lot of people raised their hands. "When humans practice abstinence, it is really only 75 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. Humans are sexual beings. It's pretty unrealistic to expect humans not to be sexual, especially when there is a surge of hormones going on."

Andelloux continued the discussion by talking about the relative risks of different types of sexual behavior and the ways that people can safely engage in them.

"However you have sex," she said. "I want you to be safe at it. All in all, I want you go know that you can have sex safely and have fun."